Are you concerned about the rising cost of food? Unsure what the term "certified organic" means? Interested in learning how to grow your own vegetables in a sustainable manner?

Join us for an evening-long workshop on how to grow your own garden. We’ll talk about the basics of soil science, how to enrich your soil to produce healthy, high-yielding plants. Presenters are seasoned MOFGA farmers and gardeners.

Each year MOFGA sponsors this statewide educational event at over 30 different locations in Maine. The workshops are open to the public and to people of all gardening skill and experience levels.

The very real danger of genetically modified foodsThe Atlantic - 1/9/2012.By Ari LeVaux – Chinese researchers have found small pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the blood and organs of humans who eat rice. The Nanjing University-based team showed that this genetic material will bind to proteins in human liver cells and influence the uptake of cholesterol from the blood. The type of RNA in question is called microRNA, due to its small size. MicroRNAs have been studied extensively since their discovery ten years ago, and have been linked to human diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. The Chinese research provides the first example of ingested plant microRNA surviving digestion and influencing human cell function.

Farmland protection at show’s coreWaterville Morning Sentinel - 1/8/2012.By Mechele Cooper – Augusta: The Maine Farmland Trust on Tuesday will reaffirm its commitment to protect 100,000 acres of farmland by 2014 at the 71st Maine Agricultural Trades Show. The trade show, hosted by the Maine Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Resources, will run Tuesday through Thursday at the Augusta Civic Center.

Managing garden herbivores: cutworms and aphidsBangor Daily News - 1/7/2012.By Reeser Manley – Cutworms, the larval (caterpillar) stage of several species of night-flying moths, are a major herbivore in Marjorie’s Garden each spring, cutting down unprotected young transplants at or below the soil surface and devouring seedlings before they break through the soil. As with all garden herbivores, understanding the life cycle of the cutworm gives clues to effective controls.

Asian fruit fly has blueberry and cranberry growers on edgeBangor Daily News - 1/6/2012.By Tom Walsh – Machias: Those who know bugs term it Drosophila melanogaster – a tiny, spotted-wing Asian fruit fly that landed on the West Coast and has since made its way east to the blueberry barrens and cranberry bogs of Down East Maine.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

6 to 9 p.m. Classes held in locations throughout Maine to give gardeners the skills and knowledge to transition from conventional to organic gardening. Registration: typically $5 to cover handouts. Information with class locations.

Locations: Common Ground Education Center in Unity with Jen Ries, or College of the Atlantic in Mount Desert with C.J. Walke. Learn to propagate and reproduce your favorite fruit tree varieties. Participants graft trees to take home and plant. $50 per person. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., East Sangerville Grange. Presented in partnership by East Sangerville Grange, Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Maine Highlands MOFGA Chapter. Speakers will cover topics of interest to both gardeners and commercial farmers. Doors open at 9:30. Light lunch will be provided. For directions go to www.grange.org/eastsangervilleme177/ or call Erin Callaway at 343-0171. RSVPs appreciated to make lunch planning easier.

9 a.m. to the afternoon, MOFGA’s Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity. We'll start with a demonstration on how to plant a tree. All ages are welcome. Bring a shovel, lunch, friends and kids. No charge. FMI: MOFGA.org or apples@mofga.org.